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I ring the doorbell and wait, nervously tapping my foot. I was hoping that Harley might be at her home, but when I texted Kent to check in on her, he told me she was staying with him for the next few days.Dehydrated. I keep telling that girl to drink water!was the text he sent.
Perhaps that’s why she ordered the club soda at the event last night.
Apart from Kent, where there is one Solace girl, there are surely several more to follow. That’s evident from all the vehicles in the driveway, the most eye-catching of which being Harley’s Harley.
When the door swings open, I’m face to face with Kent. He’s beaming at me. There’s appreciation in his eyes. “There he is! The hero!”
I’m sure he wouldn’t be calling me a hero if he knew the other things I’d done for his daughter.Toher.Withher.
“Oh, I’m not a–” Kent pulls me into a bear hug, knocking the wind out of me. The flowers narrowly escape his embrace.
“No, you are,” he says, patting my back. “Thank goodness you were there.” Kent pulls back, eyes glimmering. “You’re a true friend, Grant.”
I feel like I’m being pranked. Are there hidden cameras? Did Harley tell him and now he’s waiting for me to admit everything in some sort of “gotcha” moment?
“Could I see her? I brought some flowers?”
“Of course,” Kent says and ushers me inside. “She’s in her room. Girls! Say hi to Grant!”
Three of the other four Solace girls poke their heads out of the kitchen like a scene out ofThe Brady Bunch. “Hi Grant!” they say in unison.
“Gosh, you girls are like a choir of angels singing in harmony,” I say.
“Too bad none of them can carry a tune to save their lives,” Kent says. The girls all balk and protest. Kent only laughs. “I’m justkidding. Come on, I’ll show you her room.”
Up the stairs, into the depths of the Solace house, I go. I can almost feel Harley’s energy through the walls. Each and every step bringing me closer to her.
“Here we are,” Kent announces when we reach the door at the end of the hallway. On it is an old piece of paper with the words “Keep Out” written in Sharpie. “You’ll forgive her manners,” Kent jokes, pointing to the sign.
I can’t manage a laugh, much more focused on calming my nerves than the conversation.
Kent knocks. “Harley? I’ve got a visitor here for you. He brought flowers.”
“Come in.”
Her voice sounds so meek and tired. Between the stress of Aileen’s return and the dehydration, she must be laid out pretty low.
Kent opens the door and gestures for me to go through first. The second I step into her room, I’m transported back to middle school. Of course, my room never looked like that of a teen girl’s. But that energy is there. Childlike and incohesive. It’s charming and also…makes me feel even more guilty than I already was.
“Grant. Hi,” Harley says, pushing herself up out of the bed.
God, she looks great. It goes without saying at this point. She’s wearing a huge Iron Maiden T-shirt that she’s practically swimming in, curled up with her laptop. A work-from-home sort of day. I’d love to have that sort of day with her. Lazy. In bed. I would wait on her hand and foot. “Um. Hi.”
“Grant wanted to check that you were doing alright,” Kent says, saving me from my inability to form coherent thoughts.
“And he brought flowers,” Harley remarks with a smile.
Shit, the flowers. “Um, yes. Yeah. I did.” I walk closer to her bed, which feels practically illegal, and hand the flowers over to her.
“Yellow…they’re beautiful.” Harley takes a deep inhale. “Mm. They smell wonderful. Thank you.”
I try not to audibly gulp.
“Daddy, could you put these in some water?” Harley asks.
“Of course, sweetie.” Kent takes the flowers and gives her a kiss on the forehead. I have to look away. Feels wrong for me to even be here after everything that’s happened.
Playing with fire, Neville…
